Coming Home
by Miggitdog
Summary: ShizNat, 13 Chapters plus an epilogue. It's pretty dark, so be warned. This is the first fic for my CH-universe. More to come in the future, hopefully. Shizuru and Natsuki struggle to find each other, while outside forces try to rip them apart.
1. Oxygen

So, basically here it is. This is the project I've been working on for months and months. I finally finished typing the last chapter a few minutes ago. You guys don't know how good it feels to be done finally! Now, it may not be extremely long, 13 Chapters, about 1000 words-ish each, but to be fair I didn't spend every waking minute working on this. Not beta'd, sorry, but I've spent enough hours obsessing over it, I think I caught most of the errors. If not, inform me, and I'll fix them. For those of you who just want to read it and don't care at all about why it's 13 chapters long or the specific reasons for the titles or any of that silly stuff; just skip the next paragraph, it'll bore you. D

If you're reading this paragraph, I thank you for caring! So, this fic, Coming Home, was inspired by an album of all things! That album is Coming Home by A New Found Glory (NFG). It was released in 2006, and I highly recommend it. Anyway, listening to it as I rode my bike to and from school last year, it occurred to me that several of the songs brought the ShizNat to my mind. xD So I developed this story, each chapter containing a little part of the song, and bearing its title. Now, I had a terrible time trying to decide how to write it, questions like, "Who's POV should it be?" and, "Should it be written as a songfic or not?" tortured my mind every night as I tried to sleep. Finally I decided on this format. It is all 3rd person from Shizuru's POV, if that makes any sense. And I did not write it as a songfic, because to be honest, I find most songfics (except mine xD) to be tedious, and didn't want to put anyone through the pain of reading 13 of them. So each song may have only a small part in the emotion of the chapter, or it may be evident in the entire chapter, depending. Now, I am boring myself, so here we go!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own Mai HiME. And everyone eats rainbows and poops butterflies. (That was SARCASM by the way.)

* * *

Shizuru woke in a cold sweat. Her room was dark, and the night was cool. She opened her eyes and tried to look over at the small alarm clock whose red numbers were the only light in the room. They were blurry. Puzzled, she slid her hand up to her face. She found it to be wet; she had been crying in her sleep. Carefully wiping her eyes on the sheets, she blinked a few times. Her gaze once more falling upon the digital numbers, but this time she could clearly read them.

3:07 AM

Blearily rising to her feet, she slipped down the hall to the last door. It was the one room in her apartment she was not allowed inside. She placed her hand on the cool wood and sighed. She loved living with Natsuki; she could go into any room in the house and smell the sweet scent of the girl she loved. But she was not allowed in the one room that would probably retain the scent forever. She sighed once more as the memory of the day she asked Natsuki to live with her washed over her.

* * *

It was some time after graduation, the two friends were sitting on the grass under a large tree, and Natsuki was complaining about living with Mai and Mikoto. She had been living with them since her apartment had been wrecked.

"I mean, it's just not right! Mai is a freak! She won't let me eat more than a spoonful of mayo a day, and all those vegetables! I mean…" Natsuki continued ranting as Shizuru watched her. Though Natsuki could not return her feelings, she did not resent Shizuru for them; however, it sometimes made their friendship awkward.

"Natsuki could live with me if she likes," Shizuru said it softly, and Natsuki's ranting died in her throat. Shizuru continued before Natsuki could think of anything to say, "I have a spare bedroom, and that way, even though I'll be at University, we can still spend time together, I'd hate to lose our friendship because neither of us has time to go see the other."

Natsuki paused thinking carefully. "Maybe, I'll have to think about it." Natsuki awkwardly rushed away.

It was late that evening, Shizuru was sitting in an armchair in her apartment. She was reading a book and her reading glasses sat slightly crooked on the bridge of her nose. She heard someone knock at her door. She set her book down on the table, along with her glasses, and went to see who was calling upon her so late. Shizuru was quite surprised to see Natsuki standing there, looking anxious, with a suitcase under her left arm and a duffel bag strapped across her other shoulder. Shizuru felt her hands shaking as she undid the dead bolt and opened her door.

Natsuki looked apologetic, "I'm sorry Shizuru, I would have given you more notice, but, it was the last straw, Mikoto…" She trailed off as Shizuru smiled and stepped to the side to let her in.

Once inside Natsuki glanced around, then turned back and asked Shizuru not to close the door yet. "Shizuru, before I can live with you," Natsuki seemed to be steeling herself, "Shizuru, we need some rules."

"Like what Natsuki?" Shizuru asked, apprehension building inside her.

"Shizuru, you can't come into my room, ever."

Shizuru was puzzled at this, this was Natsuki was worried about? She smiled, "It is a small price to pay for having you as a roommate."

"And…" Natsuki gulped slightly, "well, this isn't a rule, rather a request…"

"Yes, Natsuki?" Shizuru asked warmly.

"Please don't harass my boyfriend…"

Shizuru felt her whole body tense, and her face dropped into a hurt grimace for a moment before she could cover it up. This time her smile was sad, "I would never do that to you Natsuki, never."

Natsuki looked sad too, "I'm sorry Shizuru," She whispered quietly, and as she hauled her bags toward her room, as she reached her door, she spoke even more softly, and Shizuru very nearly didn't hear her, "You'll never know how sorry I am."

* * *

Now, Shizuru stood with her hand against the very door Natsuki had slipped into that night. It had been nearly four years since then, but it seemed like only just moments ago to Shizuru. She had never seen or heard any mention of a boyfriend after that and she understood it had only been meant to warn her not to try anything. Now, she leaned against the wall, and slowly slid to the floor. Today had been the day Natsuki had finally graduated, and that afternoon, she had given Shizuru a mighty shock.

* * *

As they walked back to their apartment, Natsuki was fiddling with her hard earned diploma. "Shizuru, I'm leaving," Natsuki refused to look up and meet Shizuru's confused gaze, "I'm…I'm going to get on my bike and ride away, I don't know where I'll go, but I…" She seemed to struggle with the right words, "I just need to get away, reflect on my life."

Shizuru asked the one question that surged to the top of the heaps of queries that came to her mind, "Will you come back?" She saw Natsuki wince at the question.

After a moment of silent steps, Natsuki stopped and looked her in the eye, "I don't know." She hesitated, then said, "Probably not, at least, not for a long time."

Shizuru was screaming inside, but on the surface, her face was calm and she gave a weak smile, "Natsuki will have to send me some postcards of her adventure."

"Shizuru," Natsuki looked at her with a sad, pleading look, begging Shizuru to understand and forgive her.

"I'm sorry Natsuki, I just realized, I have a job interview with Reito, silly me, I nearly forgot in all the excitement, I've got to run or I'll be late." Shizuru spoke rapidly, turning and dashing up the street. She heard Natsuki call after her but she kept going.

When she turned the corner, she found herself on a lonely street. The tears she could no longer hold back began pouring down her face, and she felt nearly as helpless as she had the in moment during the Carnival before she snapped. Shizuru realized that if she couldn't get a grip on herself her world would shatter again.

She began repressing her emotions, like she had taught herself growing up with a mother who would not accept weakness and a father who was loving; but never at home. When she returned she told Natsuki she'd gotten the job, and pretended to be very pleased. Reito had actually called that morning; the job was hers, but she hadn't said anything because it was supposed to be Natsuki's shining day.

* * *

Now, curled up, leaning against the wall next to Natsuki's room, Shizuru felt the tears returning. She couldn't stand the thought of Natsuki leaving. Natsuki was asleep behind that thin wall. Shizuru thought about opening the door to her room and just getting a look at the sleeping girl, one last time, but no, she had promised never to go into Natsuki's room. That was a trust she would not betray. She slowly rose to her feet, and kissed the door. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of her love into her and held it as long as she could. She wasn't sure she would be able to survive without the smell; it was as important to her as oxygen; necessary to life itself. Slowly, she slipped back to her cold room, and her fitful sleep.


	2. Hold My Hand

Here's chapter two. Thanks for the great reviews, they really do mean a lot to me. D. I'm just a bit worried about the later chapters, I've had a lot less time to compulsively edit them, and I know they're a bit choppy in places, I'll try to fix them but I may not post a chapter every single day so I can polish them up a bit more.

Disclaimer: If I owned this would I really be writing on FAN FICTION?!

* * *

Natsuki had packed her bike up completely, and was now sitting on it, her helmet under her arm. Shizuru almost couldn't believe she was really leaving.

"Does Natsuki really have to go?"

Natsuki, looked up, her expression sad. "Yeah, I," tears formed in the green eyes, "I'm really going to miss you, Shizuru."

Shizuru nodded, "I'm," now her eyes were filling with tears, "I'm going to miss you too Natsuki."

"I wish," Natsuki paused and glanced at Shizuru's tears. She then seemed to be fighting some internal struggle, which finally with a deep breath, she resolved by saying, "Shizuru, will you come with me?"

Shizuru's face filled with surprise at the question. "Really Natsuki?!"

Natsuki nodded, "Yeah, I, I don't want to be all alone."

"Then of course I shall come with you Natsuki!" Shizuru almost squealed with delight, but she managed to keep her voice in check. Natsuki's face broke out in a smile bigger than Shizuru had ever seen. Shizuru felt pure joy as the leather gloved hand extended to help her onto the back of the bike, she felt the wonder as the soft hand closed around her own and-

* * *

Shizuru's alarm clock blared loudly.

"Fuck you," She said quietly to the device that was the spawn of evil. She had barely gotten any sleep that night. After slumping back to her room, she had tossed and turned for hours, and had only just fallen into a calm sleep about 45 minutes previously.

Shizuru watched quietly as Natsuki packed all of her necessities, and hauled them out to her bike. It was not much, but Natsuki said she didn't need much. After a while, Shizuru noticed that Natsuki seemed to be dawdling.

"Are you sure you want to leave today, Natsuki?"

Natsuki paused, then replied, "Yeah, I have to leave today Shizuru, I…" her eyes were suddenly filled with moisture, "I can't stay here any longer. Shizuru, I wish you could come with me," Now the tears were sliding down her face, "But it's not possible." Then her rough hand quickly wiped across her eyes, and she smiled sadly, "Goodbye Shizuru."

Shizuru was sort of dazed. As Natsuki hugged her one final time before her departure, she began to cry. When Natsuki pulled away, Shizuru twisted her head quickly to hide her tears, as she discretely wiped them, she sensed Natsuki doing the same.

"Goodbye, Natsuki," Shizuru said, her voice as composed as she could manage.

"I'll miss you, Shizuru." Natsuki pulled her helmet on and got onto her bike in one smooth motion. The roar of her engine could be heard all down the otherwise silent street. Moments later she was half a block away and getting farther as each second passed.

Shizuru stood staring after her long after the bike was out of sight, and the ringing of the motor had died. The street was deathly quiet. She shuffled back into her house and slumped into an armchair. It was then that she began bawling. She had not released this much sadness since her mother had died.

* * *

All her life her mother had taught her to be tough, to hide all emotion like she did. It was not proper for a respectable girl to cry in front of others.

"You must never lose your composure, Shizuru." her mothers stern voice said, then the hand flew out of nowhere and the sting of the red mark across her cheek only made the five year old cry harder.

By the time she was twelve, Shizuru seemed to have no emotion other than the pleasant smile on her face. All of her emotions were carefully repressed inside, and had been building for years. As she entered her home after school, she politely called to her mother, hearing no response, she went looking. The woman, who would have passed as an older version of Shizuru herself, was lying on the kitchen floor. There was a bottle of pain killers near her hand, spilled across the floor. Shizuru stared at the scene for a moment or two; then quietly left the room.

When her father returned home from work about an hour later, Shizuru was in the dining room doing her homework like a good girl.

As he entered the kitchen a blood curdling scream poured out of her father's mouth. Shizuru looked up from her math curiously. She entered the kitchen and found her father weeping at the sight of his wife's body. He looked up through red tear streaked eyes, and upon seeing his daughter's pleasant smile, he shouted at her, "Cry damn it! Cry or you'll end up like her! It destroyed her!" His voice broke and he wept harder.

All the years of repressed emotions, and now, the only parent she really cared about told her to cry. Tears were streaming down her face, and the barriers she had carefully constructed on her mothers instructions crumbled. All the pain poured out of her in screams of agony.

* * *

Now sitting in her armchair, hugging a pillow, she was a broken mess. Shizuru had never broken down so badly since then, the Carnival being the only time she had even come close. As she rocked back in forth screaming her lament at the loss of her best friend, the woman she had dreamed of living forever with, she was disgusted with herself. All those years of being taught to withhold feeling; and now she was a blubbering mess. She tried to put her walls back up but it was no use.

She tried to remember everything she couldn't stand about the blue haired girl, her mayo habit, her insensitivity, her lack of attention, but it wasn't working. Shizuru loved everything about Natsuki even those things she hated. Her mind drifted to the first time she had met Natsuki.

* * *

Shizuru was walking gracefully down the hall. She could spot her fan-girls and fan-boys following her from the corner of her eye. She smiled. Sometimes they could be extremely annoying, but, when she walked to class she didn't mind their following her, as long as they didn't get too close.

As she was pondering this thought, something slammed into her left side, causing her to turn on the spot and drop her books. Almost immediately, her fans rushed forward, glad to have an opportunity to talk to their idol. As they surrounded her and picked her books up for her, she caught a glimpse of blue hair, still rushing by and knocking everyone aside.

"Ara, who was that?" she asked curiously.

One of the fan-boys answered, "That's Kuga Natsuki, a middle-schooler, Fujino-san!"

A fan-girl said, "What a horrible thing to do! Are you okay Fujino-san?"

Shizuru tuned out her fans as she turned to get to class.

Later that afternoon, she found the girl. Her blue hair was blowing in the wind as she sat on the trimmed lawn. Shizuru stood near a tree and watched her. Fan's we crowded around her, no doubt wondering if she was going to reprimand the young girl or if they should do it to prove themselves. Shizuru watched her for a good long while, before slowly gliding away, and the fans followed like rabid dogs.

After finally ditching those idiots, she found the girl once more, this time in the garden. She found Natsuki about to crush a flower in her hand. Foolishly she had spoken, "You shouldn't do that." Natsuki had whirled around, her green eyes filled with surprise and mistrust. "Beautiful flowers are to be loved, since it's doing its best to bloom in its short life." The girl stood frozen and time seemed to drag for long moments, then she turned and left without a word.

The first time Natsuki had spoken to her had been several days after their initial collision. Shizuru was washing her hands in the ladies room, when the girl burst through the door, and stared at her.

"Ara, ara," Shizuru said, looking at her through the mirror, "Can I help you Kuga-san?"

Natsuki blushed angrily, but bit her retort back, trying to be calm and confident, she said, "Yeah, Fujino-san, right? You're a class representative right?" Shizuru nodded. "Well, I heard that," Natsuki gulped and then came out with it. "I heard that you get higher access on Fuka's intranet."

Shizuru was delighted, "Does Kuga-san wish to change her attendance record?"

Natsuki's face lit up, and she stuttered, "No! I, I'm on a mission and I need to see the director's personal records, and a register of the staff members and pupils plus their personal records."

Shizuru's surprise lasted only a moment, before she replied "Ara, I am sorry Kuga-san, but you heard wrong, only the President of the Student Council has such access."

"Oh," Natsuki's face dropped slightly, "well, thanks anyway." And she disappeared through the door.

* * *

Now, once more, the blue hair had vanished from Shizuru's sight. This time, however, the vanishing girl would not be coming back, for a long, long time. Shizuru sighed, her tear ducts were dry; she could no longer weep. Soon the convulsions of wanting to cry ceased as well, and she was completely drained of energy. Luckily, her first day of work was two day's away, so she would have time to recover before leaving her home. Shizuru slowly dragged her feet to her room. She collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep promptly. Her dreams were filled with Natsuki; her scent, her beauty, and the feeling of something as simple as holding her hand. Shizuru savored her dreams; she knew she would wake up in a nightmare.


	3. It's Not Your Fault

Here it is, chapter three! I'm glad so many people are interested in this D. I don't think I mentioned...I'm aiming for over 100 reviews, so about 7-8ish per chapter (or more if you guys really want to go for a record ;D), so if you'd like to help me out, -hint hint-, it's much appreciated, I try to respond personally to all reviews, sorry if I miss a few sometimes. Anyway...

Disclaimer: You know I don't own HiME, because if you thought I did I would have to question my readers inteligence levels, and you odn't want me going there ;D.

* * *

Three weeks had passed since Natsuki's departure. Shizuru was still a broken mess inside; with every beat her heart pained her, but on the outside, she was her usual cheery self. She had begun work at Fuka Academy. Reito had recently taken over the position of Director, and Shizuru who had spent her University time getting degrees in teaching and English, had leapt at the chance to take the job of teaching the subject to students of her former school.

With Natsuki gone, the place seemed hollow and empty.

The class that was Shizuru's homeroom actually had both Nao and Mikoto in it. Mikoto had never spent much time in Shizuru's presence, yet the older girl felt connected to the younger one, not because they were HiME's, but because they were heartbroken. Mai had left, just like Natsuki, except her destination had not been an unknown place.

Mai had gone on holiday with Tate to meet his parents.

The usually joyful Mikoto was reduced to a sullen shadow of her former self. In the few years since she had first arrived at Fuka, Mikoto had gained a greater understanding of relationships, and society. She had realized the true depths of her feelings for the other girl, yet also that they were not returned the same way.

On this particular morning, Mikoto was staring with dull eyes out the window, and the weather seemed to be reflecting her mood. Gray clouds filled the sky, it was not raining, but perpetually depressing. Nao, on the other hand, was seated in the front row.

* * *

On the first day, when Shizuru had entered her classroom, she spotted Nao immediately. Seated in the back of the room slumped over and bored, she wasn't even bothering to flirt with the boy in front of her. Upon seeing Shizuru, her eyes widened in surprise and she slumped lower in her seat.

When class was over, Shizuru asked her to see her at the end of the day.

When the class day had ended, Nao shuffled in, up to Shizuru's desk, slid her hands into her pockets, and said, "Whatcha want?" without looking up.

Shizuru felt a pang in her chest, somehow reminded of Natsuki. "Ara, ara, Nao-san, I believe we need to clear a few things up, in order to have a good school year."

Nao glanced up, "Like what?"

Shizuru smiled sadly, "Like, I need to apologize to you properly."

Surprise emanated from Nao as she considered Shizuru's words, "It's okay…"

"No. It is not okay." Shizuru let some of her pain flit across her face for a moment, "I did some very terrible things, the worst, I think, being what I did to you, and I never bothered to tell you how sorry I was."

Nao suddenly began watching her intently.

"I think, perhaps, in order for you to fully understand, I need to thoroughly explain my position. You may want to take a seat."

Nao pulled the nearest desk forward, and sat down on top of it. "Okay, talk."

"I am completely and totally in love with Natsuki," Shizuru began.

Nao's eyes widened, "Are you just going to tell me stuff I already know?"

"Ara, I do not think you can fully comprehend just how in love with her I am," and then, seeing Nao bristle slightly, "Not to say you aren't smart enough to understand, mind you. Please allow me to get this out, it's rather difficult."

After a moment Nao nodded.

"Natsuki has long been the only object of my affection. As the Carnival began, I stayed in the shadows watching over her. I know you were just trying to get vengeance for the loss of your eye, yet when you captured Natsuki the first time, I had to protect her. I am sorry, the Carnival was already driving me to the brink of insanity, long before any of that happened," Shizuru paused thoughtfully, "Actually, I had been rather tediously on the line between sanity and insanity for a long, long time, and the Carnival began to unravel my carefully built defenses. By the time you fell of the cliff I was already half mad. Then, Haruka and Yukino caught me," Shizuru paused, noting the spark of interest in Nao's eye. The girl had not heard the details of this event yet. "They caught me kissing Natsuki as she slept."

Nao let out a guffaw and tried to stifle her subsequent snickers.

"It was when I began to confront them, when Natsuki found us, and heard Haruka's accusations, when she was so frightened of me, when she screamed her rejection," Shizuru's voice cracked, "That was when I completely lost myself. The following events were the result of my insanity, the only thought I clung to, was that if I could protect her, defeat her enemies, then she would accept me. Though the thought was because of my madness, the fault is still my own. I shall regret it for the rest of my life."

Nao sat there, looking down at her hands, intertwined in her lap, for a few moments. Finally she looked up, "I forgive you."

"Thank you."

"But," Nao hesitated, "Answer me one more question." At Shizuru's nod, she continued, "What's going on with you now? I…I sense you may be on that edge, or am I reading you incorrectly?"

Shizuru's eyes widened, "I am not near the edge of that kind of insanity, yet, perhaps I am near the suicidal kind. Oh, I won't kill myself, but I am nearer that kind of crazy."

Nao appeared taken aback, "Why?"

Shizuru felt her eyes watering; she wondered why she was still telling Nao all of this? Perhaps she could understand. "Because, Natsuki is gone."

* * *

Since that first day, Nao and Shizuru grew a tentative friendship outside the classroom. Now the girl was comfortable in the classroom with her, and Shizuru felt slightly better with the forgiveness she received from Nao, but her heart continued its wretched pangs at Natsuki's departure. When the day ended, Shizuru headed home.

When Shizuru unlocked her door, she sensed that something was not right. A smell that had long since begun to fade away seemed fresh in the air. She felt her heart skip a beat. Natsuki was in the apartment.

There she was, seated at the kitchen table, her green eyes staring dully at a bottle of beer in her hand. "Hey, Shizuru."

"Natsuki! You came back!" Shizuru felt like weeping again, but this time for the amazing joy she felt.

"Not for long." Natsuki looked at her, and Shizuru saw the tears gathering. "Shizuru, there are a few things that I need to tell you."

Shizuru pulled out the other chair and sat down apprehensively. "Yes, Natsuki?"

"First, I'll say that I can't stay long, and after this I'll not be coming back. I just, I just couldn't leave you without explanation." Natsuki paused, draining the last of the liquid from the bottle. "Shizuru, I've realized, there's no denying it. I am totally and completely in love with you."

Shizuru's mind raced at the implications. "Natsuki...?"

"Yeah, I know you're wondering. Why did I leave if I really care about you? Why am I leaving again? Well, I've got a perfectly good, awful explanation for you. Shizuru, The reasoning behind my, erm, well, lack of caring for anyone but myself for all of those years while I hunted for revenge, it wasn't because I hated everyone, or simply because I wanted to focus on my task. I was really trying not to fall for anyone. I was trying not to care for anyone, so that when the time came I would not have to break their heart or my own. Shizuru, the real and true reason that I've been denying you the love I've longed to show," tears were now sliding down her cheeks, "is because I'm engaged."

There was silence as Shizuru tried to digest this revelation. Finally, it came out as a barely audible whisper, "Natsuki?"

"Shizuru, I am so fucking sorry." Natsuki was almost hyperventilating, "I've never even met him! But, there isn't anything I can do about it. My father…" Natsuki lost her ability to speak as she broke out in fresh sobs.

Shizuru just sat there, slowly growing numb.

Natsuki looked up, and through her tears, "Shizuru…I am so sorry. I thought if I just left really fast, it wouldn't hurt. But, as I rode away, it felt like I was ripping my heart out, and it didn't get better. I...I love you God damn it!"

"Natsuki," Shizuru rose from her seat and swept around the table to the girl, "Natsuki, I shall love you forever. You returning my feelings, it's more than I would have dared hope. I love you too, Natsuki, I always will."

And they kissed. Their tears mingled, as for a moment, life was pure and wonderful.


	4. On My Mind

Okay, I've got a bit of explaining to do. The next paragraph is for all of you who are going, "WTF is with Natsuki being so OOC?!" because I'm not going to reply to all of you individually about the same thing.

Since my beta hes been away (BTW I think she'll be back soon xD), I've been the only person reading this. It makes sense to me, because I know why everything is happening, I just didn't include that information in this story. Because this is Shizuru's POV, we arn't going to see exactly why Natsuki is doing what she is doing. Because of the format I am doing this in, there are huge time gaps in between some of the chapters (this one, for instance, skips two years after the previous chapter) that means there is a lot I am leaving out. Basically this story is just setting it up so I can go back and do more stories in this Universe to explain why things happened better, and do more with the other characters in this realm. However, since this is causing some distress, I will add some more explaination into a later chapter, and I tweaked this one a bit. Please believe me Natsuki has a good (though not necessarily logical) reason for obeying her father here, that she refuses to tell Shizuru. That being said, I'm sorry for causing this confusion, it was not my intent, just a side effect ;D. I have a feeling this chapter (and following chapters too) will cause similar distress, feel free to tell me, however I am getting a little frustrated with some reviews, and if they keep up I will have to do A LOT of tweaking to satisfy them, so it will take longer for me to post.

Anyway, here we go!

Disclaimer: I don't even care...

* * *

Shizuru woke slowly, warm and comfortable, yet her eyes remained closed. She wanted to remain like that forever. She could feel Natsuki's warm skin, and she breathed in the delicious scent. She knew it would not last.

Two years had passed, since that fateful night that Natsuki had confessed her true feelings. Natsuki had said she was going to leave and never come back; and perhaps she should have, it might have made things easier, even if more heartbreaking. Some might say it was wrong for them to have a secret relationship while Natsuki got married. Like living a lie, but for Shizuru, if secrecy was the cost of true love, she would pay it; however doubts and guilt seemed to be creeping in lately.

Natsuki had never told Shizuru why she wouldn't just run away with her; Shizuru knew it must cause her pain to think of the subject, so she rarely tried to find out. Instead she stayed content with the fact that Natsuki loved her. That was her rock.

They rarely got a chance to see each other, and even rarer was the chance to spend time completely away from others, so Shizuru relished in the fact that they had had an entire weekend.

Natsuki's husband, Yoshiro, was very kind. Shizuru hated that he was so nice, it made hating him harder. She also understood that though Natsuki did not, and would never be able to truly love him, she had grown to care deeply for him, like a best friend. This particular weekend he was on a business trip in America, but his plane was supposed to arrive home soon. In fact it was he who had suggested that she visit a friend while he was away so she would not be bored or all alone.

Shizuru heard Natsuki groan slightly, and shift her weight so she was facing Shizuru.

"I know you're awake, Shizuru," Natsuki whispered softly.

Shizuru slowly cracked her eyes open. Natsuki's green eyes were so close Shizuru could see nothing but them. "How does Natsuki know that?" She asked playfully, leaning forward and kissing her.

After a few moments, when the kiss finally ended, Natsuki laughed, "Because you always wake up first, Shizuru."

"Why does Natsuki think that is?" Shizuru asked playfully.

Natsuki's face split into a huge grin, "Because you always make me do all the work."

"Ara, I am so sorry Natsuki, I simply thought you enjoyed it." Shizuru's smile widened as pink spots began to form on Natsuki's cheeks. "But if you would prefer," Shizuru's hands slid down Natsuki's side. And then Natsuki screamed with laughter.

Shizuru was tickling her.

Natsuki gasped for breath, "No…fair…you…aren't…ticklish…." This went on for several minutes before Natsuki managed to put a stop to it by surprising Shizuru with a kiss. Shizuru's movements paused just for a moment, and Natsuki took the opportunity to grab her wrists. After a moment of Natsuki trying to completely catch her breath, she finally slid on top of Shizuru, pinning Shizuru's slender hands above her head.

"Now you're in trouble." Natsuki was grinning, and Shizuru smiled.

"I love you Natsuki." Shizuru said quietly.

Natsuki smiled warmly, "I love you too," It just so happened that Natsuki glanced up at the clock. "Oh shit." Natsuki pushed herself up, and cursing, dashed into the bathroom.

Shizuru's eyes fell on the wretched device.

9:27 AM

Yoshiro's plane was to arrive at the airport at 9:55 AM. This meant that Natsuki had to shower, pack, and rush home in time to beat him there. It was true he had expected her to visit a friend, but it was also true that he had expected her home early in the morning.

The sound of the shower running in the next room reached Shizuru's ears. She slumped. It was so unfair that she had to share Natsuki with someone else. As she lay there she began contemplating the horrid thought, the thought that it was even less fair to him. She had known going in that Natsuki could not truly be with her, he had not. At that moment, Natsuki dashed out of the bathroom, hastily pulling on a pair of jeans, a toothbrush jammed in her mouth.

"Whewe's by bwa!?" Her words were difficult to understand as toothpaste was dribbling out of her mouth. She made a face as she swallowed most of the minty-fresh paste, "Where's my bra?!"

Shizuru glanced around the room. She spotted the lacy black bra hanging off the lamp in the corner. She pointed to it and watched, laughing silently as Natsuki who had her pants half up, tripped trying to retrieve the bra. Shizuru glided over in an instant and helped Natsuki to her feet. "Thanks," Natsuki then hiked her jeans up, retrieved her bra and then sped out of the room once more.

Shizuru sighed, and began dressing for the day. The thoughts that plagued her whenever Natsuki was not around, returned. It was wrong. It was wrong of her to take Natsuki away from a man who really did love her. It was wrong of them to continue a relationship behind his back. It was just wrong. Shizuru had spent months contemplating this thought. How could she fix this? How could she make it right? The only solution she could come up with was to end her relationship with Natsuki, because there was no way Natsuki could leave her husband, without giving up every single thing that was important to her, except Shizuru. Yet this thought sickened her. If she did give up the only thing sacred to her, it would hurt Natsuki as well, and Shizuru was certain that if she did manage to get over Natsuki, and she happened to see her ever, she would have to start completely over on recovery. As she stared into her eyes in the mirror, Shizuru could only see the evil in herself, the jealousy, the pain, the hate, and the horrible things of her past.

Yet just a few weeks before, fate had lent a helping hand in the matter, and it was time to tell Natsuki. Shizuru shuddered at the thought.

Natsuki entered the room at a slower pace this time. "Shizuru, I have to leave."

Shizuru tore her eyes away from her reflection, "Natsuki…"

"What's wrong Shizuru?" Natsuki could hear pain in Shizuru's voice, "I'll come back soon; don't worry." Natsuki had crossed the room and was standing right in front of her, looking at her with those big green eyes.

"Natsuki," Shizuru tried to steel herself for what she knew she must do, "I've been promoted."

Natsuki smiled, "That's great Shizuru," then she paused, confused, "Wait how does a teacher get promoted? Are you an administrator or something now?"

Shizuru shook her head. "A few weeks ago, a man visited the school; he sat in on my class. He talked to Reito and the board, and I've been hired to work at his school," Shizuru sighed, "I had no choice but to accept."

"But that's great Shizuru!...How far away is his school?...Kyoto?"

"America."

Natsuki faltered as her mind tried to grasp the concept of being halfway around the world from Shizuru, "Oh…How long?"

"I don't know," Shizuru grimaced slightly, "I have to leave in three weeks and I think it will be at least a year."

"Oh...I wish I could come," Natsuki said softly. "Maybe visit..." She leaned forward and kissed Shizuru for a long moment. But then the moment passed. "Anyway, I got to go; Yoshi's going to wonder where I am." And with that, Natsuki dashed out the door, but not before Shizuru saw the tears.

"Natsuki!"

Natsuki stopped and turned unwillingly to face her, "Yeah?" her voice was rough, acting tough as always.

"I don't want to go...but I'll be back as soo as I can. Maybe its a good thing for us to be apart for a while."

Natsuki looked as if she was about to deny it, then faltered. "Maybe your right. I'll be thinking of you." Natsuki smiled weakly.

"Always."


	5. Coming Home

Okay, here we go, chapter 5. I'm going to a football game for my high school, so I don't have time to say much. Hey, **ShotgunNeko,** part of this is dedicated to you, I think you'll know which part, ;D. Here's the chapter, hope you like it, peace!

Dislaimer: Meh...

* * *

Shizuru had spent nearly a whole year of her life in the United States, teaching Japanese at a high school.

The children were rather rude, and spoiled, but she loved them all the same. When her first year began, after the first week they realized how demanding her class was going to be, and those who couldn't take the pressure dropped the class. That left most of her students to be the nice, smart ones that were in accelerated classes and actually cared to learn.

Shizuru found she liked the city, though most of the food was absolutely disgusting. It was fairly quiet, and the people were nice. She even tried dating for a while. But it was all in vain. Her life was meaningless without Natsuki in it. Every drop of the happiness that would have surrounded her here was sucked away but the fact that Natsuki was half a world away.

Today was the last day of school. They had offered her another two years, but she had managed to politely decline. Now she had to tell her students. "I have an announcement to make," She said quietly, the class hushed immediately, this particular period was full of students who were madly in love with her. "I will not be teaching you next year."

"What?!" a boy named Kevin called, outraged and hurt. "But, Fujino-sensei!" Similar cries soon erupted around the room.

Catherine, a rather shy girl, spoke up for once, "Why?"

Everyone hushed as they waited for her reply.

"Ara, I care very much for all of you, however, my special someone is back at home, so I must return."

Joe piped up, "You married, then?"

Catherine looked at him like he was insane, "Of course not, it's still illegal." She turned slightly red as the whole class looked at her curiously. "I mean," She looked up at Shizuru, "because you're…aren't you?"

Shizuru smiled, "Yes."

The girl sighed in relief.

"What are you talking about?" Nick asked, confusion filling his voice.

Shizuru smiled, "My special person is a woman."

Surprise spread across several faces, while others smirked as their suspicions were confirmed. Then the bell rang and the students snatched their bags and headed toward the door. Some came and hugged Shizuru goodbye, while a few left with their noses in the air avoiding eye contact with her, and still more left with tears streaming down their cheeks.

Shizuru sighed. It was going to be a long day.

The news of the departing lesbian Japanese teacher spread quickly throughout the school. Quite a few students did not appear in her later class though Shizuru had seen them in the halls, and some students she had never met were sticking their heads in her room.

When finally the final bell rang, Shizuru was putting her few remaining things in a box on her desk. She looked up at the sound of footfalls and saw the girl from her first period, Catherine. "Will you come back and visit us, Fujino-sensei?"

Shizuru smiled, "School is over, and I am no longer a teacher here, you may call me Shizuru, and, I would like to return, though I do not know when it will be possible."

Catherine smiled, "I hope you'll return soon, Shizuru."

Shizuru smiled, "Me too, I do like it here."

"But you have to go back for her," Catherine paused a moment then asked, "Shizuru, does she love you too?"

"Yes, very much so."

"Then why did you leave without her?"

Shizuru's smile slipped slightly, though not much, "Because she has other…commitments."

"Ah," Catherine pondered this a moment, "What's her name?"

"Natsuki." As she said it, Shizuru's heart panged slightly, and the love for her dearest slipped into her voice.

"I wish I could meet someone. Someone whose name I could say like that." Catherine closed her eyes frowning.

"You will," Shizuru said, and when Catherine's eyes opened, she continued, "The trick is not finding your special person, but getting them to find you as well. You have to fight for your love, sometimes against the one you love even."

Catherine smiled, "I'll fight with all I've got!"

"That's good." Shizuru glanced up at the big round clock, "Ara, I need to go home and pack, my plane is due tonight."

"Bye Shizuru," Catherine gave her a big hug, "You are the best teacher I've ever had," Then she dashed out of the room.

"Bye," Shizuru called after her.

Shizuru went to her apartment and packed up the last of her belongings, then headed over to the airport for the hours of security checks and delays. By the time she boarded her plane the sun was setting, and as she looked out the small window her mind slipped toward Natsuki.

There was no way Shizuru could live her life completely out of contact with Natsuki. Those twelve months she had been abroad had helped drive that point home. With each agonizing day that had passed without Natsuki, Shizuru felt as if a nail was being driven through her heart. Now that she was on a plane returning, the nail seemed to be disappearing. But her thoughts could not be prevented from torturing her with the fact that Natsuki might have gotten over her, despite how unlikely that was. She wished Natsuki would explain to her why she couldn't just up and leave Yoshiro, but it was the one thing Natsuki seemed to want to stay secret, and Shizuru knew better than to force it out of her.

When her plane landed, Shizuru reluctantly pulled her cell phone out of her purse and hit speed-dial.

After nearly five rings, a tentative voice answered, "Shizuru?"

"Yes." There was silence for a moment, "How are you, Yoshiro?"

"I'm good, Natsuki is trying on clothes, she'll be here in a moment. Are you back in Japan?"

"Yes."

"How was the great United States?"

"Lovely, though I really missed it here at home."

"Natsuki has missed you too, she was very lonely without her best gal-pal around, you two should meet up later. Oh, here she is."

There was the sound of a slight shuffle, and her voice could be heard asking who it was, and Yoshiro replied she would just have to be surprised. With a slight huff of annoyance, Natsuki asked, "Hello?"

"Hi Natsuki," Shizuru smiled at the audible gasp of surprise from the other end of the phone line. "I'm home."

"Shizuru! I've missed you so much! We need to meet up and get some tea, and you need to tell me all about your trip and everything!"

"Is Natsuki busy now?"

There was a pause and she heard Natsuki ask Yoshiro if she could ditch him. His reply was muffled, but from his tone it was obvious he did not mind.

"Yeah, where shall I meet you?"

"I haven't been home yet, how about there?"

"Ok, see you soon."

"Bye Natsuki, I love you."

"Me too. Bye Shizuru."

Shizuru hung up her phone, and headed for a cab. She was just about to get into it, when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Oy! Fujino!"

Shizuru whirled around to see Nao running out of the airport with Yukino's hand clutched in hers. Yukino was being dragged helplessly behind the red head, and her cheeks were a bit red.

"Ara, ara, hello Nao, Yukino." Shizuru was mildly surprised to see them together. She was even more surprised that when they stopped, their hands remained locked together.

Yukino was blushing slightly, and avoiding her eyes. "Hello, Shizuru-san." She was still as timid as ever.

Nao grinned, "Finally back from the States, eh?"

Shizuru nodded, "Indeed. Where are you two coming from, or going?"

Yukino shook her head, "We aren't going or coming. We're here to pick up Mai."

Nao nodded, a sly grin playing on her lips, "Yup, she left Tate at the alter!"

Shizuru's eyes widened in surprise, "Did she really?"

Nao was almost singing, "Yup! She left that bastard staring dumbly after her!"

Shizuru contemplated for a moment, "Hm…I think I'll need to have a talk with Mai soon, I haven't seen her in quite a while, but I need to go, I'm meeting Natsuki for tea."

"Have fun." Nao gave her a quick wink while Yukino nodded solemnly.

Shizuru smiled, "I'll try."


	6. Make Your Move

I just know that this chapter is going to piss soooo many people off. You can inform me, but I'm not swaying. This is how the story goes, and if you don't like it, then stop reading it. At the bottom of the page, I have another note, that you don't necessarily have to read, I kind of freaked out, but I feel it was important for me to post it.

Disclaimer: I want it to be mine, but that doesn't mean it is...

* * *

Natsuki had finally done it. She had confessed her love of Shizuru to Yoshiro. He had looked from her to Shizuru his mouth hanging open. Hurt filled his eyes for a moment, but then the look on Shizuru's face caught his eye. He blinked a few times, and then opened his mouth, "I can see it. The love you feel. I wish…I'd seen it before…" His eyes turned to Natsuki who had begun to cry, "It's…it's okay, Natsuki, I get it. I get it."

Now Shizuru's arms were wrapped around Natsuki's waist as they sped down the open road.

Shizuru's eyes opened. As she realized it had just been a dream she let out a disgruntled sigh. Yes, her arms were wrapped tight around Natsuki's waist, but they were not driving into the sunset on her bike. They were in Shizuru's bed, and Natsuki was snoring.

Though she did not want to admit it, Shizuru knew she could only be happy if she had Natsuki all to herself. She did not like sneaking around an honest man like Yoshiro.

Shizuru also knew that Natsuki was struggling with it. She really did love Yoshiro, but only as a very good friend. Her reluctance to break his heart kept her static. The time spent away had not changed a single thing; it was as if they had never been apart.

Natsuki let out a huge yawn and Shizuru loosened her grip so she could roll over to face her. "Good morning Starshine."

Shizuru smiled and kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Good morning, Natsuki."

Natsuki glanced up at the clock, "We've got three hours…What do you think we should do?" Her voice was laced with seductive hints, but Shizuru had made a decision.

"I think we should discuss our situation."

"Oh," Natsuki looked crestfallen, but seemed to know they needed to talk about it.

"Natsuki, I'm not content, or rather not fully content. The only thing which could change that…is if we were together, just the two of us."

"We are alone, Shizuru," Natsuki wasn't looking her in the eye, and her guilt was audible.

"No, Natsuki, I mean if you were married to me, and only me."

Natsuki sighed, "I know Shizuru. But I just cannot do that to Yoshi. I love him too, not the same way I love you, but enough to not want to hurt him, and especially since-" She broke off, biting her bottom lip. "Shizuru…you just got home last night…there's something I have to tell you."

"Yes Natsuki?" Shizuru was rather worried at the distress emanating from Natsuki.

"Shizuru…" Natsuki took a deep breath, "Yoshiro wants have a baby. I don't..." Natsuki struggled, quickly trying ot explain herself. "I don't want to be...like that with anyone but you. He, he knows that I don't really...that I don't want him that way at all. But...There's just...I can't..." She looked away ashamed, "I can't leave him."

Shizuru was silent for a moment as she absorbed this information, then smiled sadly, "You will make a great mother, Natsuki."

"I'm sorry. This is all just so fucked up. My father..." Natsuki stopped herself, as if she feared saying anymore.

Shizuru sighed, "Yes, I know."

"But we can still be together," Natsuki seemed to be pleading with Shizuru to accept everything as it was.

"Yes. Of course, whatever you want Natsuki." Shizuru gave her a sad smile.

"I want you, Shizuru," Natsuki looked as though she was about to cry.

"You have me Natsuki."

"It's not fair though, you don't have all of me," a single tear slid down her cheek as she spoke.

"I have your love, that is enough," Shizuru gently kissed Natsuki who was now crying steadily.

"I'm sorry it isn't more," Natsuki whispered.

* * *

Yoshiro had agreed to allow Natsuki to stay at her best friend's house for the night so they could catch up from being apart so long. But he had told her that he would pick her up the next morning, around 11, so they could go get baby books and begin their preparations.

Natsuki was about to ask Shizuru something, when a car outside honked. "Oh Yoshi is here," Natsuki said looking out the window. She reached for her bag but Shizuru picked it up first.

"No, now that Natsuki will soon be in delicate condition, she should get used to not lifting things."

Natsuki scowled, "I'm not in 'delicate condition' yet! I'm not helpless Shizuru!"

"No you are not, because you have me to help you." Shizuru smirked as she carried the bag out the door and down the steps, with Natsuki stomping along behind her.

Yoshiro was standing on the sidewalk as the two women exited Shizuru's house.

"Hey ladies!" He smiled, and when Natsuki got to where he stood, he kissed her on the cheek, causing Shizuru's heart to flutter with jealousy. This was why she tried not to spend too much time in the company of Yoshiro, but she did not want to come off as rude or impolite.

"Say, Shizuru, would you like to come with us, I'm sure you can give valuable tips and help Natsuki make decisions that I'm ridiculously oblivious to." He casually laid his arm over Natsuki's shoulders as he spoke.

"Ara, that sounds like great fun, but I'm afraid I have an appointment this morning that I should keep, however there is still a lot of time in which I can help Natsuki with decisions such as those, so I'm not too down hearted."

"Well, we'd better get going Yoshi," Natsuki said opening the car door, "I'm getting hungry, and I'm thinking something greasy and unhealthy while I can still eat that kind of thing." Natsuki grunted angrily at the prospect of not eating bowls full of mayo everyday.

"A bit grouchy this morning eh? Did you two stay up very late talking?"

"I'm sorry Yoshiro; we stayed up very late indeed." Shizuru said, though she was thinking that it had nothing to do with talking.

"Oh that's alright, you've been away for some time, Natsuki was missing you very much. I'm glad you got a chance to catch up. Hey, I think we should have a party." He smiled, "Yes, a celebration of your return."

"That would be lovely Yoshiro."

Natsuki rolled down her window, "Can we go now, Yoshi?"

"Yes dear," He turned once more to Shizuru, "Thank you for having her. I'm afraid my wife is rather impatient to leave, so we'll be going now."

"Goodbye Yoshiro," Shizuru smiled politely as he walked around the car. Natsuki looked at her. "Goodbye Natsuki."

Goodbye Shizuru," then Natsuki mouthed, 'I love you'.

Shizuru smiled and nodded.

The car started and Natsuki and her husband drove away. Shizuru went back inside her house and promptly fell asleep. They really had stayed up very late indeed. As she slept, she dreamt of the night before, and Natsuki. Then her dream turned to a nightmare. It was Yoshiro who was touching Natsuki.

She awoke screaming.

* * *

A/N

At this point, for those of you who do not like this fiction. Stop reading it now. If they way the plot has turned here disturbs you and makes you feel a desire to flame me, feel free. But I won't pay an ounce of attention to you. This is how the story goes. I had a bit of a stressed out breakdown the other day, and here is a small portion of my rant, directed at those who try to be "fanfic cops":

IF YOU ARE TOO IMMATURE TO READ ANYTHING BUT THE USUAL FLUFFY GOO-GOO THAT HAS BEEN WRITTEN A THOUSAND TIMES, THEN DON'T READ THIS! THE CHARACTERS WILL PROBABLY BE ACTING OUT OF CHARACTER, BECAUSE LETS FACE IT, WE ONLY KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THEM AND I AM TRYING TO EXPLORE DIFFERENT PATHS THEY MIGHT TAKE. THIS IS NOT NECESSARILY HOW YOU INTERPRET THEM, BUT IT'S THE STORY IN MY HEAD. FANFICTION IS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR FUN, NOT FOR 100 PERCENT ACCUTRATE INTERPRETATIONS THAT GET BORING WHEN YOU READ THEM A THOUSAND TIMES!!

I apologize, I generally don't freak out like that, but I'm pretty much fed up. If this pisses every single one of you off, I don't care at this point.

If you are actually interested in the story, feel free to keep reading, but if this is just upsetting you, then please stop for your own good. You probably won't like where the chapters following this are going either.

Thank you.


	7. Taken Back By You

Well those of you who are still reading this, I thank you. I got a lot of good feedback after the last chapter, and I thank you for that as well. I'm posting this a bit eariler in day because I won't be home later, so I won't be able to reply to reviews until tomorrow probably. For those of you commenting on Natsuki seeming selfish, well, I'll explore that a bit more in the next chapter or two. xD

Disclaimer: Damn Sunrise...

* * *

Shizuru looked up from her book surprised. Her phone was ringing. As she placed her book open on the coffee table she glanced at the clock.

11:04 PM

She checked her caller ID. It was Natsuki's house phone number. If it was Natsuki calling then she would have used her cell, so she concluded it must be Yoshiro. Her suspicions were confirmed when she answered and heard his deep, smooth voice on the other end.

"Shizuru, I am terribly sorry to be calling you so late."

"It is not a problem Yoshiro, I was just reading."

"Ah. Well, the reason I am calling. I know you've only been home a few days, but I have a favor to ask."

"Oh? What can I do for Natsuki's husband?"

"My boss just informed me that I need to be on the next flight to America, apparently there is a big deal, and it was requested that I personally attend. I know Natsuki may not even be pregnant yet, but I still do not want to leave her all alone. I was wondering if she might stay with you for a few days."

"I do not think that would prove a problem," Shizuru said calmly as her mind was churning with the possibilities.

"Thank you so much Shizuru, I'm glad Natsuki has such a good friend as you. Oh, and one other thing," He sighed before continuing, "Natsuki is refusing to stop riding her bike."

"Natsuki is very stubborn about her Ducati." Shizuru agreed.

"Well, I'd truly appreciate it if you could convince her to stop riding when we know if she's pregnant."

"I shall try, but I doubt she will listen."

"Can I drop her off in," there was a pause as he checked the clock, "9 minutes?"

"Certainly, Yoshiro." She was about to say more when Natsuki's voice was heard on the other end.

"Yoshi! I'm going to take my Ducati! I don't want you to miss your plane. You don't need to take me over like she's my babysitter!"

"Ara, why do I not come pick Natsuki up, then we could perhaps rent a movie?"

After Yoshiro conveyed this to Natsuki she huffed, "Fine. Whatever."

"Thank you so much for this."

"Not a problem," Shizuru picked up her keys, "I'll be there in a moment."

* * *

As Shizuru pulled up to Natsuki's house, she found Yoshiro and Natsuki standing on the front steps. Natsuki was scowling and it was apparent why. Yoshiro, in his rather rumpled suit was holding his travel bag, his suitcase and Natsuki's bag, her arms were empty.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Yoshiro, his tie loose and his short black hair untidy, was running down the few steps. He tossed her bag into the back seat, pivoted, kissed Natsuki's cheek and ran to his car. He shouted, "Thanks, bye!" Then he slammed his door and his car was started and he was pulling away before Natsuki had even managed to open her door.

"Idiot," Natsuki was saying as she got into Shizuru's car, "If he'd left when his boss called him he wouldn't have to rush to catch his plane. But no, he has to make sure I'm not left alone for even ten minutes." She strapped in her belt then leaned over and kissed Shizuru on the cheek. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you as well, Natsuki. This is excellent; I was not expecting to have my Natsuki over!"

Smiling, Natsuki asked, "You said something about renting a movie?"

"What would Natsuki like to get?"

"I don't really care."

"I don't either."

They were curled up on the couch. Neither was actually paying attention to the movie. Shizuru was watching Natsuki thoughtfully, and Natsuki seemed to be asleep. That is, until she spoke.

"Shizuru, I want to take you somewhere tomorrow."

"Oh?" Shizuru was mildly surprised, "Where is Natsuki going to take me?"

Natsuki smiled, her eyes still closed, "It's a surprise," She paused as a huge yawn escaped her wide-open mouth, before continuing, "We should get up kinda early, though."

"Ara, what does 'kinda early mean'? Noon?" Shizuru teased.

"Um," Natsuki yawned again, "How about 9?"

"Wow, Natsuki must really be excited to take me there if she actually wants to be up at that hour!"  
Natsuki's mind finally seemed to process that she was being teased, "Hey!" After the blush subsided, she opened one eye about halfway, "I'm only gonna do it 'cause I love you." She grinned as Shizuru blushed slightly.

"Ara, Natsuki certainly is tired; perhaps we should finish the movie another time?"

"Oh, I'd forgotten about it," Natsuki glanced up at the screen, "Yeah, I don't really care about it all that much, let's hit the sack."

Shizuru smiled and slowly pulled herself off of Natsuki so they could get up.

* * *

Natsuki was true to her word and got up at 9 AM. She hastily asked Shizuru to relax in bed while she prepared a few things and rushed out of the room. Shizuru sighed, waited about 15 minutes, then got up to get ready for the day. She simply wore jeans and a t-shirt, as that was what Natsuki had hastily thrown on earlier. Standing in front of the mirror, she even decided to tie her hair back. She rarely did this because her hair was thick and it looked great down anyway, but her main reason was she was usually to lazy or pressed for time to do it.

As she emerged from the bathroom, Natsuki skidded into the room, "Shiz-" Natsuki's voice was cut off by a gasp erupting between her open lips. She stood for a moment, dumbfounded at Shizuru.

"Ara, ara, Natsuki, it's not polite to stare with your mouth open like that."

Natsuki's cheeks burned red and she hastily shut her mouth. "Uh, Shizuru, I dunno how to tell you this…"

"Ara?" Shizuru cocked her head to the side quizzically, "Do I not look alright Natsuki?"

"No…I mean…!" The color in Natsuki's cheeks deepened as she got even more flustered, "I mean, damn Shizuru, you look hot!"

Shizuru felt her cheeks warm up, "Thank you, Natsuki, you also look very sexy."

Shizuru almost could not believe how red Natsuki's cheeks were, but then she remembered the time Natsuki had tried hitchhiking in a bikini. She smiled at the memory.

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me!" Natsuki growled, crossed the room in three strides, and grabbed Shizuru tightly around the waist and pulled her close.

Shizuru was slightly taken aback, but was soon kissing Natsuki just as passionately as she was being kissed.


	8. Too Good To Be

Mmm...here's 8...not much more to say than that this time around.

Disclaimer: If everybody is nobody, then somebody can be anybody. WTF kind of disclaimer is this?

* * *

Shizuru was skeptical as she pulled up to Natsuki's house.

They had left Shizuru's house much later than Natsuki had planned, so she was slightly rushed. She jumped out of the car and ran to her door and entered her house before Shizuru was out of the car. Natsuki came sprinting out again moments later wearing her leather jacket, with another over her arm, and also carrying two helmets. One was her usual black with red trim, but the other was...

"Ara, that's beautiful Natsuki," Shizuru said quietly, staring at the other helmet Natsuki held. It was identical to Natsuki's, except the trim was a bright metalic purple color.

Natsuki blushed, "I ordered it special for you, Shizuru." She gently handed the helmet to Shizuru. "It's got good ventilation."

Shizuru slid it onto her head and found it fit her perfectly. "Wow! Thank you so much Natsuki!" Shizuru threw her arms around Natsuki's neck.

Natsuki blushed, grinning, and grabbed Shizuru's hand and pulled her to the garage.

Shizuru watched serenely as the garaged door rose dramatically to reveal the baby Natsuki already had; her Ducati DRIII. It was in absolute perfect condition, Shizuru wondered how Natsuki could even dare to ride the beautiful piece of equipment. Natsuki looked at the bike lovingly, and then said, "Are you ready babe?"

Shizuru glanced away from the bike into her loves deep green eyes, "Yes," She spoke calmly, "but, Natsuki, don't call me babe." Natsuki faltered, afraid she had offended Shizuru, but then Shizuru chuckled, "Just kidding."

Natsuki smiled then playfully punched Shizuru's arm. "Com'on let's go!"

* * *

It was moments like this that Shizuru was at her happiest. Speeding down the highway, the air tugging her back, but most important was the fact that she could hold Natsuki so tight. She was smiling broadly under the helmet, and she suspected Natsuki was doing the same. This was the kind of wonderful peace that seemed to last forever. Shizuru did not think it would be a bad thing, to be suspended like this forever, attached to Natsuki for all eternity. Just as the though crossed her mind however, Natsuki turned off the highway, and the bike slowed immensely.

There was no need to hold on quite so tightly without the air's attempts to rip her off the bike, but Shizuru kept her hold. They were gliding over lonesome country roads, and the sights were beautiful. The mountains peeked out through wispy clouds ahead; the sun was at their backs. The scene changed a bit as Natsuki turned off onto a gravel road, where she began winding through trees and heading uphill. Shizuru closed her eyes, content to simply feel Natsuki's breathing.

After a while, Shizuru felt the bike come to a stop, and her eyes slowly opened. They were in a small clearing filled with gravel and surrounded by trees. Natsuki jumped off the bike and held her hand out for Shizuru. Shizuru took it, but did not use it to help her down. Instead she leapt off the bike with more grace than Natsuki herself had. They both removed their helmets and left them with the bike. Their hands were still intertwined as they walked toward a small trail through the trees.

"Sorry, there's a bit of a hike to get where we are going." Natsuki apologized.

"Not in any way a problem Natsuki." Shizuru smiled, she loved hiking. They were quiet as they walked through the small wood. Birds were singing, squirrels were chattering; it was really a lovely afternoon. Shizuru hummed lightly as they walked down the small dirt trail. About 30 minutes passed, before the pathway opened onto a breathtaking view.

They were standing at the edge of a small clearing on the west side of the mountain; the sun which was just beginning its decent, and as a result an almost golden light spread over the clearing. This side of the hill was fairly steep, and a few feet away a small ledge rose from the ground at an angle that was nearly level. On the ledge, a blanket was laid out with a picnic basket on top.

Shizuru's eyes widened at the beauty of the sight before her. For a moment she simply stood, staring around. Finally, she found her voice but the only thing she could utter was "Wow…" She turned to Natsuki, who was smiling, and watching her reaction with eyes filled with love.

"You like it then?"

Shizuru could not even find the words for her reply. She simply took a step toward Natsuki, wrapped her arms around her, and kissed her.

The kiss lasted several moments, then a loud voice carried down from one of the trees above. "Oh, how cute!"

Shizuru broke away, her eyes snapping up. There on a branch high above sat Nao. The girl was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

Natsuki growled, "You promised you'd be gone by the time we got here!"

Nao descended quickly, finally swinging down from the final branch and landing easily on her feet. "I lied."

Shizuru was now slightly amused at this turn of events, though she was rather put off that she and Natsuki couldn't even be alone all the way out here.

Natsuki's cheeks were red, not because of embarrassment, but rather, anger "You little…"

Nao leapt out of Natsuki's range of reach, "I'm going now, keep your pants on, Captain Crunch." She turned to Shizuru, "Nice reaction, wish I could stay to see more." With that she winked and slipped down the trail.

Natsuki was shaking her head, "I'm sorry about that, Shizuru, I-"

Shizuru cut her off with a quick, soft kiss, saying, "No matter Natsuki." Then added, "I love you," She turned back to face the beautiful view. "This is the most perfect date ever imagined." This was why she could not bring herself to leave Natsuki, the love was so clear. Her eyes began to water, as she realized that Natsuki was as unattainable as ever, and this wonder would not last much longer. She bit her lip and hid her realized pain, it would not due to bring Natsuki down.

Natsuki must have seen it flash through Shizuru's eyes though. "I'm sorry Shizuru...this whole situtation is just fucked up...at least...at least we can have this time together."

Shizuru nodded, unable to completely hide the pain that still filled her.

"You know I would leave him, if I could."

"But you cannot Natsuki. I understand. Someday maybe. For now let us just enjoy our time together." Together they turned to watch the sun finish its decent, sinking below the trees, and held each other, knowing that it could not last.


	9. Love and Pain

Here's chapter 9. The plot is finally really moving again. D

As a side note, this is the chapter I was typing around 3 AM one day, when my mind went crazy on Dr Pepper and I wrote A Ruined Evening. If you've read it you can probably pinpoint the place where I wrote that, realized it did not belong in this story, cut it out and saved it elsewhere, and went to sleep. Then I found it later and edited it so I could post it all on its own. xD Ah, the 3 AM crackfiction...it certainly didn't fit here, but it would have been hilarious. Anyway here we go:

Disclaimer: Warning! This disclaimer contains words. Words often cause headaches and eye strain. Do not read this disclaimer if you are an idiot, as you will be more susceptible to these and other symptoms including but not limited to; idiocy, confusion, block headed-ness and or the misconception that I own this.

* * *

Shizuru led Natsuki into her house after they had dropped the Ducati off and gotten her car from Natsuki's house. A message was blinking on the machine.

Natsuki spoke, "It's probably just Yoshi saying he's in New York. We can check it later, if it was important they would have called my cell."

Shizuru nodded. "Shall we continue our date then Natsuki?"

Natsuki blushed and grinned, "I think so."

Two hours later, the doorbell rang. Natsuki groaned, but Shizuru said, "Shhhh, maybe they'll leave…"

A few moments passed; then it rang again. A few moments later, the phone rang as well. They let it ring until it hit the machine.

"Uh, hey, It's Yoshiro. I guess you still aren't home. When you get back, I'm home, actually on your doorstep now, came to get Natsuki like the other message said. Guess I should have called your cell. Ah well, just give me a call, it doesn't matter how late it is, I want to know you're safe. Uh, yeah, if it's too late you can just stay there for the night; I'll come get you in the morning. Um, bye!"

There was silence until a car door slammed and an engine started outside. After it was gone Shizuru and Natsuki were still silent.

Finally Natsuki spoke, "Shit. What time is it?"

"11:15."

"I'll call him in about," Natsuki considered, "thirty minutes, tell him we were at a late movie."

"Okay. We have thirty minutes then?"

Natsuki smiled.

* * *

"Okay…uh, bye!" Natsuki seemed ill at ease as she hung up the phone. "Yoshi sounded weird, I hope his deal didn't go too badly. Anyway, he wants me home tonight, will you drop me off?"

Shizuru nodded.

When they pulled up to Natsuki's house, something was off. Shizuru wasn't sure of what it was, but it was making her uneasy. Natsuki felt it too. "Walk me to the door?"

Shizuru nodded and undid her seat belt. They hurried up to the door and found it unlocked. There was obviously a light on in the entryway, and as the door opened, they saw Yoshiro standing in front of a floor length mirror. He turned to them, his voice seemed strained, "Ah, could you both come in for a moment, I need a word."

Shizuru edged nervously into the room, she knew what was coming. Natsuki must have figured it out too because her hand slid behind her to grip Shizuru's, out of Yoshiro's view. Yoshi's face was contorted in pain as he spoke, "I know. I know what you…" He looked up to meet the guilty eyes of his wife. "You never loved me did you?" He whispered.

Natsuki cringed, "I did. I do. But…"

"But it isn't the same? Is it?" His voice grew harsh. "Arranged marriages…" he shook his head "They used to work, way back when. But I guess with all the freedom women have gotten," he shrugged, "They don't need us." He looked away again. "How long have you loved my wife?" The question was clearly directed at Shizuru this time, but Natsuki was the one who spoke first.

"Since the first time she saw me."

He stared at her; he seemed a broken shell of the wonderful guy. "That's how I felt. Too bad you met her first."

They all stood frozen in time for a long while, until he spoke again, "I can't have this." His anger was showing up now, "Natsuki you have a choice. Run away with your…" he shook his head in disgust, "Be an outcast, never ever come anywhere near me again, or never ever see _her_ again. The choice shouldn't be hard. If you pick her, no one will ever speak to you again, you'll be a pariah, spat upon, a disgrace to your father, you'll lose every single fucking thing, you know the consequences will far outway any...compensation...you may think you'll get. But, if you pick me…I love you, I'll take care of you, the world will be open to you, we can have a family, and anything else you desire." His eyes pleaded for her to pick him, as ifhe'd do anything for her, "Choose."

Natsuki had tears streaming down her face. For some reason this decision was harder for her than it should have been, if everything she had said to Shizuru had been the truth, but after a long moment and a deep breath, she pulled the hand behind her back, the one Shizuru held, into view. "I'm sorry Yoshi…"

"Yoshiro. My name is Yoshiro." He said angrily, but after a moment, he nodded, the movement jerky. "Fine then. You'll regret this, but I won't let you back. " He pointed to the door. Shizuru pulled Natsuki through it.

They were on their way back to the car when Natsuki spun back toward the house, "My bike!" She hastily opened the garage. It was gone. All that was left of the Ducati was a grease stain on the concrete. Natsuki stood in horror for a long moment, then she screamed, "YOSHIRO!!"

He stepped calmly out the front door.

"Where is it?!" She was starting to hyperventilate; Shizuru rushed to her side and held her upright.

Yoshiro's eyes were hard as he looked at the two of them; he spoke, his voice cool, "It's...scrap metal." He turned on his heel and slammed the door behind him, a scream of anguish ripped the air. Shizuru carefully lifted Natsuki in her arms and carried her back to the car. She drove Natsuki to a nearby parking lot where she cut the engine.

"My…my Ducati…" The horror of the loss of her bike left Natsuki speechless. Shizuru pulled Natsuki's head to her chest and held her, whispering calming words into her ear and kissing her hair. When Natsuki had recovered a bit, she was no longer crying, Shizuru drove them back to her house. They were a few blocks away when they heard the sirens. Two red fire engines raced past them and Shizuru sped up, the impossible horror dawning on her.

Her entire building was in flames. She stared at it out her window, her hands gripping the wheel so hard the knuckles were white.

She drove away.

"I'm sorry Shizuru." Natsuki's voice was hoarse as she spoke, "This is all my fault."

"Don't be sorry Natsuki; it is _not_ your fault."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, finally Natsuki spoke, "We have to leave Shizuru, that was...the last chance...all Hell is going to break loose now, I should have...I have to tell you why...why...it's all my..." She broke off sobbing lightly.

"Don't worry, we're making a quick stop at a storage facility; and after that we are going to my father's house. We'll be safe there. Sleep now, you can explain later."


	10. Familiar Landscapes

Here's the next chapter. Just to warn you, the next few may be a few days late; I'm working with a 5th grade basketball team after school now, so I will be late getting home, I've got mountains of homework (actually I should be doing that now instead of this -guilty face-) and I've got to edit these next few chapters a bit more, so sorry if I don't post the next few every day.

Disclaimer:

Who: Me

What: Does not own this.

Where: Anywhere.

When: Ever.

Why: Because Sunrise is a bitch and I'm poor.

* * *

The storage facility Shizuru had mentioned was actually another apartment. It was across town from where she lived. Natsuki had never been there before. Shizuru pulled out her keys and chose one off the ring Natsuki had never seen her use. Shizuru opened the door and stepped inside. Natsuki followed her, eyes wide as Shizuru flicked the light switch. The room was lined with cardboard boxes. A small couch and an old TV were pushed off to one side, Shizuru began navigating through the boxes and Natsuki followed.

"Shizuru?" Natsuki's voice was still rough, "What…?"

Shizuru gave a weak smile, "I've had this for years, during the Carnival, when your apartment was destroyed…" both shuddered at the memory, but she continued, "I thought it prudent to have a safe place." She led Natsuki through the maze of boxes to a back room. This apartment was a lot smaller that the one that was now burning. There was a small bathroom and a single bedroom. They entered the bedroom and Shizuru opened the closet revealing racks and racks of clothing. She pointed out one rack.

"Those are yours." She said quietly. Natsuki stepped forward and examined the clothes. She looked at Shizuru incredulously. Shizuru had bought duplicates of some of Natsuki's favorite outfits; they still had tags on them. Shizuru shrugged, "Always be prepared." she smiled, and Natsuki smiled back after a moment. Shizuru then pulled two suitcases down from the shelf at the top of the closet, handing one to Natsuki. She lay hers on the nearest of two cots pushed against the wall and began packing her clothes. Natsuki followed suit and soon they were both packed up.

Shizuru looked at the clock; it was nearly 4 AM. "I suppose we should get some sleep." She wandered over to another corner of the room where a few sleeping bags were stacked. She chose one and rolled it out on one of the cots. Natsuki grabbed one too, but she first pushed her cot up against Shizuru's. Shizuru watched her roll it out, then picked up a third bag herself. This time, after unrolling it, she unzipped it and draped it over the top of the rest. Natsuki smiled weakly at her. "You should take a shower Natsuki, you'll feel better."

Natsuki paused a moment, turning away to hide her tears "I don't want to be alone," her voice was choked, and Shizuru wrapped her arms around Natsuki's waist from behind.

"I won't leave you." She whispered, leading Natsuki to the small bathroom.

* * *

When the alarm went off at 7 AM, neither wanted to get up; 2 ½ hours of sleep was not nearly enough. But Shizuru managed it, thinking that they really needed to get on the road. She entered the main room while Natsuki rolled over, snoring loudly. Shizuru unpacked one of the many boxes that were pushed into a corner. She carefully removed one of several pieces that were meant to be connected. She stared at the gleaming metal. One swipe; that's all it would take to end that man's miserable life. As she stared at the blade, her reflection caught. She stared at her own piercing red eyes. No. She placed it back in the soft packing material and closed the box. She would not be the monster again, she had promised, herself, Natsuki, the other HiMEs. After all the carnage, they had gotten together and made a promise, a pact. No one would get hurt because of them again. It was a promise Shizuru would keep.

After several tries, she managed to wake Natsuki up with a long kiss. Natsuki looked up at her and her eyes, usually so bright and deep, were dull and flat. "Let's go, Natsuki."

When they exited the building, however, it was to an unpleasant site. Yoshiro was slumped down on the sidewalk, leaning against the buildings' wall looking ragged and broken. Her stared up at them. "No!" His face was red with tears. "I'm sorry Natsuki! I was angry, I don't…Your bike is fine, I think, I didn't…" his hands were gesturing wildly, "I swear, I don't know what happened to it. I just said that because I wanted to hurt you like you hurt me…and I didn't know they were going to burn..." He crumpled, "You don't believe me, I wouldn't believe me…" The man broke down in tears at that point. Shizuru saw Natsuki looking guilty, so she quickly pulled her to the car. The ruined man continued desperate pleas as Shizuru started the engine and left him there.

Shizuru was wary; how had he known where to wait? She kept a vigilant watch while she drove, looking for signs of treachery.

Natsuki was quiet for a long time. Shizuru glanced at her every now and again, always seeing her staring blankly out the window, not really seeing the landscape. Shizuru drove for hours; stopping only once at a gas station as night began to fall. Finally Natsuki spoke.

"I believe you…" it came out as barely more than a whisper, but Shizuru heard easily. "I should have found some way to make it work…" Shizuru's hands gripped the wheel tighter and the car sped up slightly. "He didn't deserve this; I wish none of this had happened…" Shizuru had had enough. She slowed and pulled to the side of the highway. Natsuki's head snapped up. "What's wrong Shizuru?"

"Natsuki. I am glad this happened." Natsuki looked at her incredulously but she continued, "I should have said this to you years ago, but better late than never I suppose. It's not fair; to me, to him, or to you. What do you want from me? Do you want me to tell you, 'Oh you're right, we'd have been better off keeping this a secret for the rest of our lives'? Because I won't tell you that. It is not true. I love you Natsuki. I would do anything for you. Now we can finally move on…Do you believe it is possible to be in love with two people at once?"

After a moment Natsuki shook her head, "No. You're right. I never should have lead him on." She looked out the window her expression one of sorrow, "I do love him. I do, but I'm not in love with him."

Shizuru gently reached for Natsuki's hand, and squeezed it. "I know. He really is a good guy."

"I hurt him so bad…"

They sat in silence for several minutes, but then Shizuru started the engine again and they were on the road again. It was still a long way to Kyoto. Not too many cars on the road, headlights shining far enough back that they were just a specks, fireflies in the night. There was a motorcycle not too far behind, quickly gaining. Shizuru was going the speed limit; she frowned at the blatant disregard of the law but before she could decide if she was going to honk or not, Natsuki spoke.

"So, you said earlier, we're going to your father's house?"

Shizuru nodded.

"What about your mother?"

Shizuru started slightly at the question. She and Natsuki had not spent much time speaking about their families; she had actually not been asked that question since she was small. "Oh, well, Natsuki and I have something in common in that area."

"Oh." after a moment Natsuki asked, "What's your father like?"

"He's great." Shizuru smiled, "Has a good sense of humor too. I think you'll like him, and I know he'll like you."

"Does he know…?"

"Yes. He actually loves it," Shizuru smiled at the memory, "When I told him, he said, 'Oh good, I don't have to worry about boys with inappropriate ideas.' And then he realized that I might get ideas." She snorted.

Natsuki looked wistfully out the window, "I wish my father was like that."

Shizuru glanced to the side to give Natsuki a quick smile.

"Actually, my father was one of the reasons-"

That was when the motorcycle hit them.

* * *

The screaming of an ambulance filled Shizuru's ears. She stirred and opened her eyes. Colored lights flashing surrounded by darkness filled her vision. She wasn't completely sure where she was or how she got there. All she knew was something was terribly, terribly wrong. She tried to move and found a sharp jolt stinging pain in her leg and chest.

Things started coming back to Shizuru in flashes.

Driving. Car. Natsuki. Motorcycle.

She moved her arm, ignoring the pain that shot through her, and reached toward Natsuki.

There was nothing where Natsuki should have been. The space was empty. Shizuru tried to speak, but before the words could come, the world faded into darkness.


	11. When I Die

Here's 11. ...I'm tired...I don't care if you hate me by the way...

Disclaimer: I'm too tired to properly tell you off for believing I own this...

* * *

When next her eyes opened, Shizuru was lying in a hospital bed. An IV was dripping slowly and a monitor was gently beeping. Her left leg was in a cast, her middle was wrapped up tight and there was a bandage around her head. The white room was filled with daylight. A figure was slumped in a chair near the window. She blinked a few times at the bright light. As she tried to shift her weight a stab of pain shot through her chest and she gasped in pain. The figure in the corner snapped up.

"Father?" Shizuru whispered in confusion as the man approached.

"Shhhh, you're alright, don't worry baby girl." He gently picked up her left hand and kissed it. His hands were shaking slightly, dark circles under his eyes revealed little sleep.

"What happened?"

"Drunk motorcyclist." Her father shook his head, "Slammed into your car. You rolled off the road; you're lucky to be alive, it's a damn good thing your seatbelt was on."

"How long…?"

"You've been out for three days," He gave her a crinkly smile. "You're going to be OK sweetie."

"Natsuki?" Shizuru felt a shiver of fear as her father looked away. "Dad? What happened to Natsuki?!"

"She wasn't-" Her father started to speak when the door burst open.

"IT'S ALLYOUR FAULT!" Yoshiro's face was red as he screamed, "BECAUSE OF YOU!" He broke down in tears, "Because…of you…she's dead…she's dead!" He slid to the ground, howling unintelligibly.

Dead.

For a moment the words did not register in Shizuru's mind, and time seemed to stand still.

Then the screams of agony began.

* * *

A year.

A whole entire year had passed since that day.

* * *

Shizuru was standing on the cliffs, the place where she herself had sent Nao plunging to the icy waters below in an attempt to kill her. How fitting that this should be the place. Leaning against the rail, she stared down into the waves as they crashed against the rocks. She's been coming to this spot a lot; trying to make sense of it all. That first day of consciousness in the hospital was a sharp clear memory branded deep into her mind, and she could not block it out.

* * *

They had had to restrain her, tie her tight to her hospital bed, her ribs had been injured in the crash, three fractures; and her sobs were only serving to crack them more. Finally they'd drugged her into what they thought would be a dreamless sleep. In reality it was far from dreamless. Every horrible thing; her mother calling her weak and useless, her father's pain when she died, the empty aloneness, the Carnival, the things she had done, Natsuki leaving her, Natsuki getting married, Natsuki's pain, and the pain she now felt with the loss of her love. The memories tormented her for hours, until she woke up screaming. Somehow the bindings that were supposed to hold her in place snapped, and her body automatically tried to bend, curling in on itself, sending a shooting pain through her entire body. Her screams of agony were still for Natsuki, her own pain hardly registered anymore.

The nurse had come running and found Shizuru bent double, sobbing and screaming; crimson blood leaking through her bandages.

After the physical wounds were healed sufficiently, Shizuru found herself being shipped off to a psychiatric hospital.

"I know it probably feels like a punishment," her father was pleading with her, "But, I'm doing this for your own good, dear."

"Whatever." Her voice was even, monotone, her eyes stared dully forward, not really seeing the room she would get to spend the next six months in.

* * *

Now as Shizuru stared down at the waves, watching the cliff erode in miniscule increments, she reflected on her time in therapy. It had been utterly useless. She had carefully hidden behind all her masks, telling the doctors what they wanted, or expected to hear, made them think she was slowly recovering. It worked easily, her original six month banishment from the world only ended up being three months.

When free, she spent months researching, trying to find trickery in Natsuki's death. Turned out, Yoshiro was really innocent; there was no way ot trace him back to any of it. He had spent months in depression as well; got arrested twice for drunk driving.

After all those months of finding no trace of deception, Shizuru had come to a peace. She had finally accepted that Natsuki would never hold her again. At least Natsuki had not had to suffer through her death;thrown through the winshield as she was, death instantaneous. for that more than anything, Shizuru was grateful. She would see Natsuki again, when she died. Natsuki would wait for her forever. In Heaven or Hell or wherever else there was, Natsuki would wait until the end of time for her. But she wouldn't have to. With a deep breath Shizuru stepped carefully over the rail. She didn't see killing herself as an act of desperation to end the pain; rather, she saw it as her chance to find Natsuki again. Life didn't matter at all without those beautiful green eyes.

Closing her eyes, Shizuru prepared to step of the precipice, to land in the icy water, to numb and drown. The sound of a motor driving up the road made her eyes snap open for a moment, but then she decided she didn't care if someone saw, they would be too late to do anything anyway. With final deep breath, she lifted her foot, and stepped off the cliff.

* * *

That was when her eyes snapped open for real. The dreams were getting worse.

With a small sigh, she glanced at the clock.

3:07 AM.

Again. Shizuru wondered why it seemed that whenever she awoke in the midst of the night, it was always 3:07. As she pondered this she heard a strange sound; a creak in the hall. Fear gripped her and her hand slid down and she carefully quietly grasped the blade she kept hidden between the mattress and bed frame panel. As her fingers closed on the cool metal, the door swung open, and a hand reached in and the light flicked on.

Shizuru's eyes widened as she saw the girl standing in her doorway.

One second, two, Shizuru felt her hand go limp as she stared, her eyes wide.

"Nao?"


	12. Connected

Here's 12. One more to go. xD

Disclaimer: meh...ducks say 'quack' and I don't own this.

* * *

Nao smiled. "Been a while hasn't it?"

Shizuru could only nod.

"Anyway, I've got a very important delivery to make." Nao smiled and tossed a small envelope to Shizuru who was just sitting in shock. "My work here is done, I'd better go, Yukino worries when I'm out too late." The redhead disappeared through the door, flicking the light off as she went.

Shizuru sat there in shock for a few moments. She wondered what all that was about. She reached over and flipped her lamp on, and scooped up her glasses. After putting them on she looked at the plain envelope. One word was scrawled in messy quickly written handwriting.

_Shizuru_

It was handwriting that could only belong to one person. Shizuru quickly flipped it over and used her fingernail to rip through the envelope. She read the letter. When she finished, she read it again. Then she sat in shock for several minutes trying to process it. Then she re-read it again, even slower.

_Shizuru,_

_I am sorry. For everything; all the pain you have had to feel because of me. I am not dead. I am trapped. I'm not sure how to explain, I'll just have to start at the beginning I guess._

_The short explanation for why I agreed to marry Yoshiro is that I was being blackmailed, sort of._

_See, years ago, when I was too small to remember, the marriage was arranged. Yoshiro's father and mine were good friends back then. But there was some sort of falling out; I'm not even sure what happened. It was part of the reason I've been estranged from the man for years. But when I was searching for the answers, revenge…my father came back. I'm not going into everything in this letter; I'll explain it all to you someday. Suffice to say that I was in a dark place, and I made a bargain. After the Carnival and all of that, I wished I hadn't…I wished I hadn't fallen for you, because I knew I'd have no choice but to marry a man I'd never met. My father has ways of getting what he wants, he threatens…the people you catre about. He didn't realize how I felt about you; he thought you were just my best friend. But still. I couldn't bear…_

_My father found out about us somehow, I'm not sure. He was livid, he called pretending to be Yoshiro's boss needing him to go to America, and then he told Yoshiro about us. He told Yoshiro what to do- lure us back home and make me feel like shit. He was hoping I would go back to Yoshi, but in case I picked you, he had one of his henchmen steal my Ducati. Yoshiro tried again, but when I still left him, well that was the bike that hit us. That bastard has a sick sense of humor; it was my Ducati. I was knocked out, I learned later that they pulled us both from the car and the paramedics got paid off to pretend I was dead. They hauled me off in a body bag, and I woke up in a different hospital than they took you too. I was hurt pretty bad. I hit my head on the dashboard; I was knocked out for a couple weeks. My ribs got smashed into my lung, it didn't puncture, but I couldn't breathe well. When I finally came to, I was moved into my old room in my Father's house. I hadn't set foot in there in years and now I found myself surrounded by all of my childhood things, it was really disorienting. But there were bars on the windows, and a camera in the corner. My father came in after a few minutes. He looked at me and said, "You little bitch, you will not disgrace this family with your filthy lifestyle. Until you give it up of your own free will, then you get to stay here." Then he walked out, and I heard the door lock. I was mostly alone for…a long time, I lost count of the weeks; I only saw other people when they brought me food. Then, about a week ago, my father came back; asking if I'd changed my mind. I leapt at his throat. He doesn't look it, but he's pretty strong, and Yoshiro ran in and they managed to tie me to the bed post so I couldn't rip their stupid heads off. My father left, and Yoshiro just stood there, staring at me. Since I couldn't beat the shit out of him, I asked him how it had all happened, and he told me, all the stuff I already said that happened. Then he said, "I'd hoped you'd have reconsidered, but I can see that you will never love me again." I just stared at him. Then he…...well…I'm not going to go into that._

_Anyway, yesterday, Nao appeared at my window. It was a shock seeing her on the other side of those bars; my room is three stories up and there are no trees or anything near it. She just grinned at me and passed this paper, a pen and this envelope through. I knew what it was for and started writing this. I expect she'll be back at some point to get it from me._

_Shizuru, I miss you so fucking much, I will do whatever I can to get back to you as soon as I can, and I will never leave you again, I swear. I have a plan on how to do it, but I'm not sure how long it will take, and then we will need to leave the country, I want no chance for any of this to happen again, can you arrange it? Please, wait for me, I love you._

_Nothing but love,_

_Natsuki_

_P.S._

_Don't try to rescue me, my father would gladly have you killed, and that would kill me. Please, Love, I promise I'll hurry. Soon I'll be back in your arms, and everything will be right._

Shizuru sat in shock for another moment. Then she made up her mind. She was going to wait. So she waited until morning, then she went to track Nao down.

Finding the redhead at her apartment was easy. Yukino opened the door, rubbing sleep from her eyes.

"Fujino-san?"

"Where's Nao?"

"She's sleeping, uh…" Yukino was at a loss for words as Shizuru brushed passed her and practically ran through the apartment to the bedroom. Nao was tangled up in the sheets snoring loudly.

"Nao!"

Nao shot upright at the sound, then seeing Shizuru, sighed, and yanked the sheet (which had fallen off her upper body) up. "Jeez, maybe a little nicer next time Shizuru, I am a hero after all."

Shizuru just glared at her with a fiery intensity that suited her eyes.

"Ugh, fine." Nao finally said, "You want to know how I figured it out?"

Shizuru gave a short nod.

"Yoshiro told me."

Shizuru's eyes widened.  
"Yeah I was surprised too; he seemed to feel really guilty about something, trying to make up for it I guess." Nao shrugged, "anyway it was just a matter of avoiding guards, security cameras, scaling three stories, and escaping; twice. No biggie."

"Do you know her plan?"

"Yes," Nao hesitated, "She asked me not to tell you what it is though. I think it will happen fairly soon, be ready."

Shizuru nodded, and turned to leave.

"And," Nao added hesitantly, "Take care of her."

"I will." Then Shizuru hesitated a moment longer, "Thank you, Nao."

And Shizuru nodded, tears of joy leaking out as she realized it hadn't been a dream, Natsuki really was alive, and they would be together soon.


	13. Boulders

Thanks to everyone who's still with me here, I hope you have so far enjoyed my twisted tale of depression and doom...

I did not post this yesterday because I was at a birthday party for some of my best buddies (I say some because they're twins :D), sorry for the delay. And also, I now have a book I've been waiting forever to get! So I'm going to go read, be back later.

As a side note, I encourage you all to comment (because I only need 13 more to be at 100 xD) and also I'd like to know what questions remain in your heads, so I can be sure to answer them in the future. xD

There's a chance that I'll do an epilogue chapter at some point in the future. Because on the album (remember, the one I based this on xD), there were 5 extra hidden tracks: 3 on the Japanese release, 1 on itunes, and 1 at Best Buy, I've only gotten my grubby little hands on three of them, so if anyone knows where I can get "It's All Around You" and "Over Me" I'd really appreciate it. In any case if I do do that, I'll only do one extra chapter, not five, but I'm really busy at the moment and won't promise anything.

Again, thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: If you've read all the previous chapters, I have no need of disclaiming this.

* * *

Shizuru waited, pacing restlessly in her living room. Her mind kept playing the phone call over and over again.

"Hello?"

"It's me. I'll meet you at your place. Two hours."

Then the line went dead. Shizuru had let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

That had been nearly two and a half hours ago. Shizuru had all of her stuff packed up, and she was having a difficult time waiting, and the pouring rain outside didn't help. She whipped around as a low scraping sound reached her ears. The window was sliding up, and a dripping wet figure jumped inside.

"Natsuki!" The word came out as barely more than a whisper. It was filled with shock and wonder. Even though she had believed Natsuki was really alive, she had not been able to fully accept it until she saw for herself. Stumbling toward Natsuki, tears leaked out slowly through the corners of her eyes. As soon as she reached the drenched woman before her, a small moan escaped Shizuru's lips as she grabbed Natsuki and pulled her close, ignoring the fact that her clothing was absorbing the cold water.

"Shizuru!" Natsuki's voice came out in a hoarse whisper, and she began sobbing quietly.

They stood like that for a long time, simply holding each other, recovering from the time they had lost.

Finally, Natsuki spoke again, "I'm sorry, now you're wet too."

"That's ok, I needed a shower anyway." Shizuru smiled at the light banter; then looked Natsuki straight in the eye, "I love you."

"I love you, too." and after a pause, "Shizuru…"

"Yes?"

"I don't…" She struggled, "There are a couple things you need to know." After a long moment and a deep breath, she continued, "Shizuru, I killed him, my father, I broke his neck." There were tears gathering in her eyes, "He's dead."

Shizuru's face went blank as she processed this, a sharp intake of breath was the only sign that she had not turned into a statue. Then she turned her head to the side, "I did not realize your plan was to kill him."

Natsuki's face was tortured, "It was the only way Shizuru! If I'd just left…he would have sent people after us, we'd never have been safe! Besides, he deserved it! Locking me up…and then…Yoshiro…HE DESERVED IT!!" And then she broke down, slumping to the floor, tears flowing harder than Shizuru had ever seen, "I didn't mean…I was just… God! I'm so sorry Shizuru! I know, what you must think, especially after what we all agreed after the Carnival…I'm sorry, I'm sorry…sorry…" her words trailed into tortured sobs of agony.

Shizuru just stood, numbly for a moment. She could see what Natsuki meant. The pact that had been made after the events of the Carnival, a pact to never hurt anyone again. Shizuru had taken it the most seriously, after all the horror she had caused. Natsuki had broken it, though it was probably better for them with the man rotting, the fact that she had murdered him was inescapable. Almost.

In the instant Shizuru's mind solidified on her decision, Natsuki stood.

"Shizuru, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come back after all this time, I-" She was stopped abruptly by Shizuru; who wrapped her arms around Natsuki's waist and silenced her with a quick kiss. She slid her hands up to Natsuki's face and used her thumbs to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"It had to be done, Natsuki." Shizuru kept her gaze locked onto Natsuki's eyes, "I don't think I would have been strong enough to do that; I am so proud of you. We're going to leave the country, you won't be suspected in his death, because lets face it; you're officially dead."

A weak smile spread across Natsuki's lips, "Thank you, Shizuru."

And they held each other for another long moment, until Natsuki spoke again, "If I'm dead. Then who am I?"

Shizuru smiled softly. She pulled away from Natsuki for a moment, disappearing down the hallway, then reappearing moments later with an envelope and something else hidden in her hand. She set the envelope down on a table, and kept whatever else she had hidden, "The answer, to that question, depends on your answer to my question." And Shizuru got down on one knee. Natsuki's jaw dropped and her eyes bugged out so far, that for a moment, Shizuru feared they would pop right out of their sockets. "Will you marry me?" And Shizuru revealed a golden band, a diamond glinting in the light from the window. The ring itself was much plainer than the one Yoshiro had given to Natsuki, but in Natsuki's eyes nothing could compare, except of course the woman who offered it to her.

Natsuki's mouth floundered for a moment, and she seemed to have forgotten how to speak. After a moment, she found her voice, "Yes." Shizuru slid the ring onto her left ring finger and smiled up at her. "Where's yours?" Natsuki asked breathlessly.

"Right here." Shizuru placed an identical ring into Natsuki's palm and stood. Natsuki eyed her confused. "I asked Natsuki, now she must ask me."

"Oh!" Natsuki slid down to her knee, "Shizuru…will you, marry me?"

"Yes." And Natsuki slid the ring onto Shizuru's finger. Then she stood.

"So what's my name now?"

Shizuru lifted the envelope to reveal identity papers, a driver's license, and other such documents.

Natsuki read it and her lips twitched into a grin, "Fujino Natsuki. I like the sound of that."

Shizuru smiled. "We have a flight to catch."

"Where are we going?"

"On our honeymoon silly." Shizuru watched Natsuki's face turn to surprise again.

"Where?"

"You'll just have to wait and see."

"And after that?"

"The U.S."

"Sounds great, Shizuru."

Shizuru felt a great contentment in her heart that she had not felt in years, since long before she had even known Natsuki. Finally she was at peace with her past, her mistakes, her mothers, her brand new life was about to begin.

"Oh, Shizuru, I nearly forgot, there's something else you need to know."

"Yes Natsuki?"

"I'm pregnant."


	14. Epilogue: Golden

Hello! It's been a while. So, basically, last September, when I finished posting the last chapter of this story, I may have mentioned that I was possibly planning an epilogue chapter; well truth was I was already working on it. I didn't exactly lie; I just said I wasn't making promises. And I didn't. And I'm finally finished, and it wasn't even stressful trying to finish this so you wouldn't be waiting around forever. Hm…maybe I should just not promise anything anymore, so I don't have to worry about it!

In other news, I'm about to begin a new journey, within this universe, and for my very first time, based on characters who are not ShizNat. I know! It's shocking! I'm not going to say who, though there are those of you who could probably guess ;). I don't know exactly what or when I'm going to do it yet, heh, no promises right! Though I will suggest that New Found Glory recently released a new album Not Without a Fight (and I finally got to see the live, hells yes!), and I may use it for my new story, depending if it feels like it fits.

And finally (sorry for being so long winded er…typed), I tied up a few of the loose ends with this, though not in too much detail. After being so dark with most of my story, I kind of felt bad, so this is a bit brighter. Hope you like it, and if you don't then, don't consider it part of the main story. ;D

P.S (heehee phone sex xD) Anyway, this is six years after the last chapter in case you're confused.

**Disclaimer: I'm Old Greg! (Not really).  
**

* * *

_You and I girl  
we've got something golden  
did you know  
they say it never lasts_

* * *

Shizuru stood in the doorway, smiling as she watched the teacher read the children a story.

"…And they lived happily ever after, the end." The young woman smiled as she looked around at all their bright faces, "Today was a wonder first day of school; I'm going to love getting to know all of you this year. See you tomorrow."

As if on cue the final bell rang and the kids jumped up to go find their parents, most of who were standing by the doorway, or in the hall to pick them up.

The teacher took off her reading glasses and glanced around at the parents. Shizuru caught her eye, and a surprised expression crossed her face.

"Fujino-sensei?" She crossed the room to stand before her.

"I seem to recall telling you to call me Shizuru; besides, I haven't been your teacher in years, Catherine."

Catherine blushed slightly, "Wow, it has been a long time…six-no…seven years?"

"Ara, I do believe so."

"Is one of them yours?" Catherine asked, motioning toward the kids putting their backpacks on and chatting animatedly with their new friends.

Shizuru smiled and called, "Tadashi!" one boy who was in deep conversation with another spun around.

His hair was exactly the same shade as Natsuki's, though cut short and messed in a way that was deemed cool by the kindergartner. His eyes were a shade of blue so pale that they were nearly grey. "Mommy!" He ran over to Shizuru as fast as his short legs could get him there. She bent down and hugged him tightly, "Did you like your first day of school?"

He nodded.

"Where's your sister?"

"I dunno." He spun around and shouted, "Yuriko!"

She emerged from the midst of a group of giggling girls. Her hair was black, and long, combed the same way as Natsuki's, just as her eyes were the exact shade of green. "What Tadash-Oh! Mommy!" She too ran over and hugged her mother.

"How was your first day, sweetie?" Shizuru asked her, smiling as she brushed a stay strand of hair off her daughter's face.

"Good Mommy! I made alotta friends!"

"Good!" Shizuru looked up at Catherine, smiling.

"So that was her…" Catherine seemed to be pondering something, "Your Natsuki, she dropped them off this morning."

"Yes."

Catherine smiled, "I'm so glad to have met her." She turned to the kids, "I look forward to teaching you. In fact, did you know your mother was my teacher once?"

"Really?" Yuriko's eyes widened.

"Wow." Tadashi, who was naturally quiet, spoke up, "That's amazing Mommy."

"Are you coming to parent's night next week?"

"Certainly, if our babysitter is available, we'll both be there."

"We don't needa babysitter mommy! I can make sure Tadashi don't burn down the house."

"We'll see." Shizuru smiled, then glanced at her watch, "Oh, Catherine, I'm terribly sorry, we've got to run; we are going to surprise Natsuki on her lunch break."

"It's alright, I've kept you too long, see you kids tomorrow!"

"Bye!" Yuriko said loudly, while her brother quietly echoed.

* * *

After the car ride, which Yuriko deemed too long -like Natsuki she hated riding in cars-, they arrived at the garage. Natsuki emerged, smiling at them.

"Hey! How are my little squirts?"

"Good mommy! I made lots of friends!" Yuriko told her excitedly, running up to hug her.

"Whoops, hold on a sec, love, I don't want to get grease on you." Natsuki grabbed a rag and wiped her hands off before hugging her daughter. Tadashi was right behind his sister, and he said quietly that he had a good day too.

"Hey Natsuki."

Shizuru led them out to the car, but found a man leaning against it. He was of middling height, with his black hair, which had grown too long for its cut, swept off his face. Black sunglasses covered his eyes, and a cigarette was perched between his lips. As soon as he spotted them, the cigarette fell to the asphalt, and he stomped it coolly.

He held his hands up as a sign of peace, "I just want to talk."

Shizuru felt Natsuki's grip on her hand tighten, she saw the knuckles turn white. "Natsuki, why don't you and the kids go on ahead, I'll meet you there."

Natsuki nodded tightly, and led Tadashi and Yuriko away.

Shizuru watched them carefully until they were just out of earshot. She stepped forward until she was only feet away from him, "What do you want, Yoshiro?"

He removed his sunglasses, stuffing them into a jacket pocket as he watched Natsuki and the children walk away. With a sigh he spoke, "It was awfully hard to track you down."

"What do you want?" Shizuru repeated.

"Just to see them." His ice blue eyes were not angry, but sad. "See what my life might have been." He paused, working his jaw. He finally stuffed his hand into his jacked pocket and produced a pack of cigarettes. He quickly lit one and took a long drag on it. "Damn, I used to be so good, didn't smoke, only occasional drinks, nothing too bad. Now look at me." He spread his arms and looked intently at her. "I'm sorry. Okay! I'M SORRY! You know, I felt so guilty after everything. Then her old man…falling…down the stairs like that. And I never got the chance to tell her…" His eyes were watering. "I…" He closed them tightly, he gripped his hair, as if he might just rip it out. He took a few deep breaths. Then let his hands fall. "I don't blame you…or her. I was hurt, and I turned into the kind of man I hate, a smug self righteous obnoxious asshole. Just like her father was."

Shizuru stood silently this whole while, watching him carefully. She finally spoke, "I'm sorry, Yoshiro. I shouldn't-"

"No. Don't." He stopped her, "After her father…fell, I went over there and searched. I found a test in the trash. Positive." He smiled sadly, "I tried to find her, and you, but you had both vanished. I was too late. I drank myself into a black pit of despair. I finally realized I was just being sorry for myself, worked to get myself out of it, and found you. I don't want your pity. I don't want you to apologize to me. It was my own fault, at least the part that I had control over was. You two…I spent a lot of time thinking about it, and, you two are fate. True love; and nothing can stop that."

"Yoshir-"

"Naw, just let me finish, please, then I'll be out of your life forever." He took a slow breath, "I wanted to tell Natsuki I'm sorry, for all the pain I caused her. I knew she wouldn't want to talk to me, I didn't come here to disrupt your lives; I just wanted some closure, and seeing you, as a family like that, happy, I think, it never lasts. Those kids will grow up, and you'll grow apart; I thought I'd be glad to see it all fall apart; that that's what I needed. But it's not, despite everything; I'm crossing my fingers for you. You've got something, something everyone wants, and few have, treasure it, please." A short pause, then he asked, "Would you give her this?" He pulled a letter from inside his jacket, handed it to her, and turned without waiting for an answer.

Shizuru nodded, though he couldn't see her, and turned to leave as well.

* * *

"Finally!" Yuriko cried, as Shizuru entered the restaurant, and found their booth, "I'm starving!"

"Sorry, dear," Shizuru said absentmindedly as she sat down, her eyes locked on Natsuki's, and she smiled lightly, "Everything's okay."

"Mommy," Tadashi spoke quietly, "Who was that man?"

"An old…" Shizuru paused, "…friend."

"What did he want?" Natsuki asked, carefully.

"Just to catch up for a bit."

"Ah. Is he going to be in town a while?"

"No, I think he's leaving today."

"But!" Yuriko cut in, "Mommy didn't you know him too? You didn't get to talk to him! I know when I don't get to talk to my friends for a long time I'm sad!"

Before Natsuki could reply, Tadashi asked, "Are you mad at him?"

"What makes you think that?" Natsuki asked, surprised at her sons intuition.

Tadashi shrugged.

There was a moment of silence, broken only when Yuriko's stomach complained loudly. They all laughed.

---

That night, Shizuru followed the little ones into their room, and kissed Yuriko on the head as she climbed up to the top bunk, which was covered in stuffed animals and fluffy pillows. Tadashi climbed into the lower bunk, his own stuffed animals surrounding him, and Shizuru kissed him too. She said, "Goodnight!" she flicked off the light, leaving just a nightlight on in the corner, and closed the door.

Natsuki was sitting on their bed, staring at the letter Yoshiro had left for her. She looked up when Shizuru entered.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Did you call Mai?"

"Yeah, she and Mikoto can baby-sit for Parents Night.

"Oh good."

"Did you want to talk about it?" Shizuru gestured at the letter.

Natsuki sighed, "No." She folded the letter and dropped it into the trash.

"Okay." Shizuru turned off the lamp and climbed into her side of the bed, and Natsuki followed suit. They lay for a while, in the dark, Shizuru gently stroking Natsuki's hair.

"Shizuru?"

"Yes Natsuki?"

"Something was bothering me, but it had kind of faded back, I'd forgotten, until today."

"What?"

"Why didn't you ever try to find out why I married Yoshiro, or steal me away. And I mean that, like, it just seemed like something you would have done, so why didn't you?"

Shizuru smiled, "Because you asked me not to, silly."

"But, I asked you not to get involved way back, before the whole Carnival fiasco. And you still tried to protect me."

"And I went madly insane with jealousy and did horrible things in the name of love." Shizuru said bluntly, "I didn't want anything like that to happen again. I trusted you," She smiled again, "Now look what we've got."

Natsuki smiled and kissed her. She broke off as she heard voices down the hall. "Ah, Yuriko's talking her brothers ear off again. I'd better go tell them to go to sleep; they'll be too tired to get up for school tomorrow."

"I'll do it," Shizuru kissed her quickly, and got up before Natsuki could protest.

The voices went silent as soon as they heard the door handle turning.

"I know you two are still awake." She said with a smirk. "Go to sleep, we've got another big school day tomorrow."

Tadashi asked, "Mommy?"

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Who's our dad?"

Yuriko, usually loud and boisterous was quiet for once.

"You don't have one." Shizuru said quietly, "You've got two moms."

"But…" Tadashi was struggling to come up with the right words, "Billy says everyone has to have a mom and a dad or they can't be born."

"Some people think that, but, I don't."

"What do you think mommy?" Yuriko asked.

"I think," Shizuru paused with a small smile, "that anything is possible through love."


End file.
